In June 2015 the Canberra Heart Clinic had a major upgrade of its medical equipment. This including a new GE Mach 5500 ECG machine, a new Philips ST80i Stress testing System and new Suntech Oscar 2 ambulatory 24 hour blood pressure monitor which is capable of assessing central blood pressure which more accurately correlates with true blood pressure. This investment ensures that patients at the Canberra Heart Clinic are not only managed by caring and highly skilled staff, but also that their investigations are performed with equipment that is the best in its class.

06.August.2016

7 Days Holter Monitor

With the purchase of two 7 day event monitors the Canberra Heart Clinic can now do cardiac monitor from 1 day upto 7 days. The clinic has 10 monitors so monitors can generally be booked with no waiting time. It should also be remembered that Holter monitors at the Canberra Heart Clinic are read by its own local cardiologists unlike those provided in pathology which are read by cardiologists outside Canberra who do not have access to the referral letter or the patient's notes. Holter monitors provided by pathology providers also do not in general have an event button for the patient to press and do not have a clock on them which makes correlating patient symptoms with rhythm traces next to impossible. We therefore pride ourselves on the quality of our Holter monitor reports.

06.August.2016

Appointuit

Referring doctors and patients whether they be new or prior patients of the Canberra Heart Clinic can now book their appointments via Appointuit. This will save time as you no longer have to wait on the phone to make you appointment. The Appointuit app is available via the App Store for iphone and ipads and is also available as an android app on Google Play for Android phones. Appointuit can also be accessed via your computer and is free of charge to use.

Privacy & Access Policy

Access Policy

The purpose of this Policy is to set out how Canberra Heart Clinic will provide access to your personal information. This policy is part of our Privacy Policy and our desire to provide for, maintain and give effect to your right to privacy.

Overriding principles

At all times the conduct under this Policy will be governed by the following principles:
• all requests for access will be treated seriously;
• all requests will be dealt with promptly;
• all requests will be dealt with in a confidential manner.

Form of Access;

Canberra Heart Clinic will provide access by allowing you to inspect, take notes of or receive copies or printouts of the personal information that Canberra Heart Clinic holds about you. You can make your request in writing by filling out the form supplied by us.

To obtain access you will have to provide proof of your identity. This is necessary to ensure that personal information is provided only to the correct individuals and that the privacy of others is not undermined.

When will Access be denied?

Access will be denied if: • the request does not relate to the personal information of the person making the request;
• providing access would pose a serious and imminent threat to life or health of a person;
• providing access would create an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others;
• the request is frivolous and vexatious;
• the request relates to legal proceedings between Canberra Heart Clinic and you;
• providing access would prejudice negotiations with the individual making the request;
• access would be unlawful;
• denial of access is authorised or required by law;
• access would prejudice law enforcement activities;
• access discloses a ‘commercially sensitive’ decision making process or information; or
• any other reason that is provided for in the Health Privacy Principles (HPPs) set out in the ACT Health Records Act and the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) set out under the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
Where possible, Canberra Heart Clinic will favour providing access. It may do so by providing access to the appropriate parts of, and not the entire record.

Time

We will take all reasonable steps to provide access within 45 days of your request.

Costs and charges

Canberra Heart Clinic may impose charges in accordance with the ACT Health Records Act and the Health Records Regulations. Please ask us about these fees.

Privacy Policy

Canberra Heart Clinic takes its obligations under the ACT Health Records Act 2001 and the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 seriously and would like to take all reasonable steps in order to comply and protect the privacy of the personal information that we hold.

This policy sets out how we intend to so.

Collection of information

Canberra Heart Clinic collects and holds personal health information about you.Canberra Heart Clinic collects information from you so that we may properly assess,
diagnose, treat and be proactive in your health care needs. All members of the professional team involved in your care will have access to your personal information.

This means we may use and disclose the information you provide in the following ways:

• Disclosure to others involved in your health care, including treating doctors, pathology services, radiology services and other specialists outside this medical practice. This may occur through referral to other doctors, or for medical tests and in the reports or results returned to us following the referrals.
• Disclosure to enable recording on medical registers (for example the diabetes register).
• Administrative purposes in running our medical practice, including our insurer or medical indemnity provider, and quality assurance and accreditation bodies.
• Billing purposes, including providing information to your health insurance fund, the Health Insurance Commission (Medicare) and other organisation responsible for the financial aspects of your care.
• Conducting research.
• Assisting with training and education of other health professionals.

In most cases we will obtain the information directly from you or your treating doctors.

Information Quality

Our goal is to ensure that your information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. To assist us with this, please contact us if any of the details you have provided change. Further, if you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up to date, contact us and we will use all reasonable efforts to correct the information.

Storage

We will take all reasonable steps to protect the security of the personal information that we hold. This includes appropriate measures to protect electronic materials and materials stored and generated in hard copy.

Access to your personal information

Access will be provided in accordance with our Access Policy. If you require access to your personal information please contact our receptionist on 02 6162 1886.

We do not contract out data storage or processing functions.

Legal reasons why we collect the personal information

Some information we collect is in order to comply with our legal obligations [eg Mandatory Reporting or Accreditation requirements – state relevant legislation if any].

What happens if you choose not to provide the information?

You are not obliged to give us your personal information. However, if you choose not to provide the practicewith your personal detail we may not be able to provide you with the full range of our services.

Treatment of Children

The rights of children to the privacy of their health information, based on the professional judgement of the doctor and consistent with law, might restrict access to the child’s information by parents or guardians.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about our privacy practices or wish to make a complaint about how your personal information is managed please contact us. All complaints will be dealt with fairly and as quickly as possible.

A privacy complaint relates to any concern or dispute that you have with our privacy practices as it relates to your personal information. This could include matters such as how personal information is collected, stored used, disclosed or how access is provided. We prefer that your complaint is in writing.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of our handling of your complaint you may contact the ACT Health Services Commissioner or the Federal Privacy Commissioner.